


Our Brand of Love

by Snuggle_bunn1



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Bisexual Glimmer (She-Ra), F/F, Glimmer (She-Ra) Swears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:48:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25900855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snuggle_bunn1/pseuds/Snuggle_bunn1
Summary: There she was, sitting on a branch in a tree near a cliff’s edge. Her back is the only thing Glimmer could see but she’s certain that if she could see her face it’d be just as beautiful maybe even more so with the sunset cascading over her skin. No longer listening to whatever Perfuma was rambling on about, all of her attention was on her ex-friend. She could hear was the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She was always so effortlessly beautiful, or at least as beautiful as Glimmer would allow herself to believe. She looks so at peace as she gazed upon the golden clouds, she always did have a thing for the sky and the clouds, but Glimmer knew she was specifically waiting for nightfall. She wanted to witness the moment the change from the glorious reds, oranges, and yellows turned into cool calm blues and purples. She wants to be there with her at that moment, but she knows she shouldn’t, it would probably only harm what little cordial bit of their relationship was left.
Kudos: 1





	1. Questions

Mondays, Glimmer hated Mondays. She always had the longest to-do list on them and none of them required little brainpower it was quite the opposite really. She’d spend her day doing her usual princess rounds in the various towns and villages surrounding Brightmoon. The usual highlights of her trips were the many shops she patronizes frequently because as she would say they had the best food in all Etheria. Or at least they did but nowadays she can barely remember what any of it tasted like.  
She used to salivate at the arrays of food she’d walk by and go home that night dreaming about her next trip, but now she avoids those shops and spends very little time in the towns. She used to know everyone by name but can barely recognize over half the people who wave enthusiastically in her direction whenever she waves back trying to return even half of their energy. The sun peers in through Glimmer’s large windows in her room she groans as the warm glow illuminates her face. She really needs to get some curtains or something, she glances at the clock. 

7:45

She's gonna be late. With a huff, she practically falls out of bed and looks herself over in the mirror she looks just like she did yesterday. Her hair, if she ignored her bedhead, looked just as neat. Her clothes that she hadn't bothered to change out of looked like they were just pulled from her closet and other than the dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep she looked refreshed. Or at least a refreshed as someone as sleep-deprived as she was could be, so she fixed her hair and left her room to be assigned her rounds by her mother who was coincidentally also the queen. The morning light illuminates the large corridors of Brightmoon brilliantly, the golden tint cascaded on the walls with more strength than usual yet somehow was still soft almost kind familiar even.

Memories of her childhood start to come to her as she sluggishly walks through the empty halls. They're so vivid that she feels like she's there four years earlier when she was full of energy and a smile was always plastered on her face. Then just like that she can see it, she sees herself shorter than she is now by at least a foot or two. Her hair still short but a little longer than it is now the cut was terribly done on impulse with a pair of dull scissors. She hears them two pairs of footsteps rapidly hitting the smooth marble flooring beneath her, she stops walking to witness the memory before her.

“Glimmer wait up! Where could you possibly be rushing off too like this?”

That voice makes her heart stutter. She hasn't heard it in three years she’d tried and succeeded in locking away the memories with her in it, or so she thought. Maybe she'll only hear her and not see her. Maybe her mind won't betray her today and she'll get through this with no resistance. 

“Hurry up slowpoke we’re gonna miss it!”  
The excitement in her face makes her glow brilliantly, the morning light giving her skin a gorgeous golden tint. She looks so warm, so happy, at peace, naïve.

“Miss what? Glimmer? Glimmer!”

Off she goes down the hall before making a sharp right. Mindlessly, and against her better judgment, Glimmer follows interested in seeing this evocation through. She ends up in the garden her miniature self already knelt on the short grass by a particularly large bush. She takes a seat on a nearby bench and watches. The grass ruffles to her left, an indication that someone is now standing there, despite her instincts telling her not to look she does. She immediately regrets it. A lump formed in her throat and her fist clenched as her nerves kick in the second, she lays eyes on the girl she tried to forget,

“Glim what’re you doing?”  
Little Glimmer presses a finger to her lips and waves the girl over,

“Be careful you might scare them.”

The girl is very clearly confused but humors her and crawls over squatting beside her friend. Her eyes suddenly widen as she looks among the leaves, 

“Are those-"  
She's immediately shushed showing off an apologetic crooked smile and starts to whisper,

“Are those caterpillars?”

“Not anymore.”

The girl cocks her head to the side slightly confusion evident on her face once more. She looks back at the bush eyeing the various cocoons spread about the small area,  
“Huh?”

As if on cue the cocoons start to shake slowly at first then progressively gets more violent. Finally, one by one butterflies emerge, their wings all various shades of blues, reds, and oranges. The surprised expressions shared by the girls made Glimmer feel a twinge of jealousy at their carefree moment. She stood up to leave this memory suddenly becoming too much for her to bear. If she lingered any longer, she’d be unable to suppress these past moments, she didn't want to relive them not today. She took her first step toward the exit when the girl’s voice rang in Glimmer’s ears once more,

“This one is still in its cocoon.”

A moment of silence then shuffling could be heard. Another long pause. She could practically hear the gears turning in their heads.

“Maybe it's a late bloomer.”

“Is that normal?”  
A giggle. Glimmer grit her teeth trying to will herself back into the castle, but it was pointless she knew she wasn't going anywhere until she heard what she was waiting for.

“How are you from Plumeria but know little to nothing about this?”  
“Hey, my specialty is flowers, the sky, and trees I leave the bugs to my sister. Now answer my question sparkles.”

Miniature Glimmer groans, 

“I told you there's nothing sparkly about me.”

“Uh I'm not sure if you've noticed but your hair is drenched in sparkles. It's like someone dumped you in a barrel of glitter.”

She could hear the teasing tone in her voice so clearly, she wanted to get a rise out of her, and she always did. It's not like she ever tried to fight it any way she loved the banter. She misses the banter, she misses her.

“Anyway, being a late bloomer is totally normal. In fact, I'm sure it'll be the most beautiful of the group, it'll be unique.”

There's a silent hum of understanding. Another long silence falls only to be broken by the rustling in the bush, a butterfly emerges its wings a beautiful pink. It sits on a branch of the bush for a second gently flapping its wings causing them to shimmer in the light. Glimmer hears younger self again this time her voice full of wonder,

“It’s so beautiful.”

Glimmer risks glancing back toward the bush, the other girl is staring at the younger version of herself in adoration and care. A soft smile plays on her face her cheek resting on her hand.  
“Yeah, it’s gorgeous.”

And just like that, the memory ends with no trace of her past left. Glimmer is left with a weird pit in her stomach it almost makes her nauseous. She manages to pull herself together her mind still reeling as it replays the girl staring at her so lovingly, but gods does she miss her. She re-enters the castle heading towards the war room. Her mind wanders endlessly, does she still think about her? Does she remember that day just as vividly as Glimmer does? Does she even care anymore? The name she hasn't uttered nor thought about in years teeters on the edge of her lips she wants to say it but if she does, she won't be able to go back.

The moment the name leaves her mouth she'll be reopening old wounds, reviving the words that went unsaid, feelings that never got to see the light of day due to her fears of rejection or worse abandonment. Can she handle that? Will she be able to relive constant memories of her better days? This shouldn't be such a difficult decision she should be walking into the war room with her by her side. She wants to feel the weight of the girl’s arm draped over her shoulder as she teases her and ruffles her hair every so often. She wants to hear her obnoxious high-pitched laugh fill her ears and trigger her laughter watching the girl’s nose scrunch out of habit. She yearns for the days when she'd get caught up in the girl's crazy hair-brained schemes as they both would eventually get caught like they always did. You know what fuck it, Glimmer decides she can't handle these endless questions, and if she says it now, she'll get over it quicker.

She sighs looking out the southern window in the direction of Plumeria and whispers some part of her hoping she'll hear this somehow,

“I miss you, Jasmine.”


	2. Reminisce

Jasmine was laying on her bed upside down, her head hanging off the side, bored. There was nothing fun for her to do except watch the morning light slowly fill room. You'd think with as much land as Plumeria had, there would be tons of fun things to do or at least an easy way to sneak out to another kingdom for the sake of an adventure. Instead all it has to its name, in her eyes, is its beauty.

Plumeria is beautiful the lush green landscapes would bring a tear to the eyes of any tourists or random travelers. It was a place to be proud of both visually and emotionally but recently Jasmine hadn't been, a few weeks prior she felt like she was on top of the world living in the most beautiful kingdom in Etheria. And yet Plumeria was starting to bore her, frankly the kingdom started to bore her a while ago this is just the first time, she's admitting it to herself.

She knows why this is, the kingdom itself is wonderful, but it's missing the one person who always made being there worthwhile. There's a nagging itch she's got in the back of her head over it, but she refuses to scratch it, knowing where it will lead to. Last time she even acknowledged its existence she felt sick to her stomach as memories clouded her rational thought.

They were always too much for her to handle but they've become unbearably difficult to even brush aside these days. The high ceilings and wide walls of her bedroom suddenly felt too small, her crowded thoughts causing her body to physically feel tightened and stiff. It's almost the anniversary of their friendship she knows it is, it's verified by the number of cocoons that littered the kingdom preparing to burst at a moment notice.

For Plumeria this was a joyous time usually lasting until every cocoon hatched, they’d celebrate with various butterfly themed desserts, decorations and games. It always seemed too cliché for Jasmine too obvious of a reason to celebrate, but nobody ever shared the sentiment except for… her.

The heated winds of the morning air whisked through her open windows caressing her cheeks and warming the once cold skin, mornings like these are perfect for climbing or a hike to another kingdom. To Jasmine a hike sounds good, sitting around waiting for something exciting to happen in this place was like watching paint dry. And she wasn’t gonna sit around for the beginning of the festivities of the day to begin, the thought alone made her cringe in disgust.

With a tired groan she walked to one of her windows preparing to shut them when she heard a shout. She gazed downward seeing a couple of children playing with a few random stones, their horns just starting to grow in on their heads. Their laughter, loud and full of carelessness, filled Jasmine’s ears. It brought a soft smile to her lips, remembering a time when she'd been that carefree. Back when she could sneak away and run to Brightmoon and climb up trees and various towers without someone wondering where she went or having to time herself on when she had to return.

Brightmoon. She’d be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking of the place. She can still so clearly remember what it looks like from the outside, its grand towers staring down on all its territory. Always looking so intimidating contrasting with its cool and kind colors, that always brought a wave of calm over the girl. Whenever she couldn't remember the exact details of the castle she'd used to traipse around so comfortably in the past, she'd sneak out at nightfall and sit in a tree on the outskirts observing it in the moonlight at its most beautiful.

A heavy sigh fell from her lips, she’d always focus her attention on one specific tower. Always tucked away on the far right of the castle towards the back, if you weren't paying attention, you'd miss it, but Jasmine never did. She spent hours at a time staring at that one tower endless questions swimming through her mind, wondering if its occupant is there sleeping peacefully like she always did or if she too was restless and awake. She could be wandering the place she called home, but Jasmine just knew she was in that tower.

The one specific tower she’d always climb belongs to a friend, or at least she thinks they’re still friends, even though their last conversation didn’t really reflect that. She flinches at the memory the words they used were harsh especially on her end. She didn’t mean the things she said but Jasmine was so frustrated with herself and her friend she couldn’t understand a better way to express herself in the moment. She can hear the other girl’s words so clearly in her mind,

*****

“We aren't friends, I only spoke to you that day because I felt sorry for you!”

She’s lying she must be. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes threatening to fall, but Jasmine refuses to show the pain she's feeling. She barely recognizes her best friend, the anger on her face is unlike any she's ever seen before. It sears itself into her mind wanting to be remembered, felt every time she dares to think of her after today.

Jasmine’s voice defies her wishes cracking as she speaks, “You, you don't mean that.”

She swears she caught a glimpse of guilt cross the angered girl’s face, but it was too quick to tell. The shorter girl lowers her gaze to the floor as it suddenly became the most interesting thing in the room.

“I do,” her fists clench tightly as her bottom lip quivers slightly, “I don't want to be your friend anymore Jasmine.” Her voice cracked heavily between her words, her body defying the façade she was trying to put on. “I want you to leave.”

Jasmine doesn't move silently calling her friend’s bluff. She opens her mouth to say something but closes it again fearing that what she says next could be either the nail in the coffin of their relationship or the start of countless apologies and sleepover kitchen raids. Regardless of the outcome she figures she needs to say something before it's too late,

“Glimmer, you don't want that.” She is silent for a beat gaging Glimmer’s reaction to her words.

“I know you Glim you wouldn't just tell me to leave without an explanation, and you definitely wouldn't pretend to be my friend.”

Glimmer’s jaw clenches so hard you'd think she dislocated it, something in Jasmine’s words didn't sit well with the princess. That should've been her cue to stop, she should've left her room right then and there, instead she pressed forward with her words pleading for a reason. She was looking for a glimmer of hope (no pun intended).

“Glimmer look at me please, just tell me what's going on.” She grabs glimmers hands squeezing them sympathetically, “I know this isn't who you are, I know you're just stressed with your new responsibilities and I-"

Her hands are thrown away aggressively as if she's somehow wronged the princess with her words, tears now brimming in Glimmer’s eyes, the pain and annoyance on her face ten times more evident than it was before.

“You want a reason? Fine! I'm so sick of you acting like you know me, and thinking you know what's best for me! You think you know about responsibilities,” Glimmer took an angry step toward Jasmine. Every breath they both took felt heavy, as if there was something more that needed to be said but couldn't be deciphered.

“when was the last time you ever took responsibility for anything? All you do is run away from your problems and avoid them until they no longer become yours to deal with!” Glimmer’s body leaned toward Jasmine as her arms flew through the air adding pointed punctuation to her words.

“Now leave me alone,” silence followed the only thing breaking it was the heavy breaths of the shorter girl before she continued, “or do I have to call for the guards?”

Jasmine physically flinched taking a few steps back towards the door, tears finally rolling down her cheeks leaving hot salty streaks in their wake. Her chest ached and the room spun making her stomach churn. She felt nauseous she felt cold, broken, abandoned but most of all she felt lied to and used. If Glimmer really saw her as some sort of charity case, why should she fight for her? Why should she fight for them?

*****

She sighs, the memory finally leaving her. No, they’re not friends anymore, haven’t been for a long time.

The sound of soft careful footsteps slowly grows louder as they approach Jasmine’s room. She recognizes them as her sister’s, she was always so gentle yet so strong. It was something the younger girl admired about her sister, “Jasmine are you in here?”

A fond smile etched its way onto Jasmine’s face, “Yeah Perfuma, what’s up?”

Seconds later Perfuma emerged in the doorway an annoyed expression on her face. She was sure her sister was prepared to chastise her for hiding out in her room all morning until her face went soft and her eyebrows raised with worry, “Have you been crying?”

She hadn’t realized a few stray tears had found their way down her cheeks. Jasmine chuckled trying to sound cheerful as she brushed them away, “No way, it's just my allergies.”

It was a lie and not a very convincing one at that. She knew Perfuma wouldn't be convinced but she also knew better than to pester the younger girl for the truth. Perfuma walked up to Jasmine leaning on the windowsill and looking downward just as Jasmine had been, the kids were gone now but the stones they used were still sitting in a strange pattern indicating they'd be back soon enough. They sat in silence just watching the world move around them, it was peaceful.

“It’s getting closer to that time of year again for you isn't it?” Perfuma’s sudden question almost made Jasmine jump out of her skin.

“I heard she’s actually coming to the kingdom this year.” Jasmine was still staring out the window pretending the surrounding trees were more appealing than this conversation she'd rather not be having.

Perfuma continued, “This could be a good chance to talk to her if she actually shows up. You could, you know, patch up your friendship.”

Jasmine huffed giving her sister a pointed look, “There's no friendship to patch up,” she looks down. “not anymore.” She absentmindedly fidgets with her fingers, her eyebrows knitting together in discomfort.

A tense silence grew between the sisters, Perfuma knowing full well what her sister is trying to say but couldn’t find the words for. Jasmine looked calm but her mind was reeling. If Glimmer really was coming to the kingdom for the festival, could she really use this as an opportunity to talk to her? Jasmine casts her gaze toward her feet, suddenly feeling self-conscious. They’d have to see each other for most of the day and despite how well Glimmer knows the layout of Plumeria, tradition requires she uses a guide. Various possibilities flew through the princess’ mind, most of them ending poorly for her. They caused her heart to jump in fear, maybe this is a bad idea, she shouldn’t try to force Glim to talk to her. She’s sure they’ll talk when they’re both ready.

But Jasmine is ready now. She’ll never say it out loud, but this distance has been unknowingly draining her for years. What if Glimmer isn’t ready? What if she is never ready? She could hate Jasmine for some unknown reason, though Glimmer has never hated anyone in her life. Her heart rate has suddenly picked up the room feels hotter than it did a few seconds ago,

“Jasmine, you haven’t taken a breath in a while,” her older sister’s voice breaks through her train of thought, “you have to remember to breathe or else you’ll work yourself up unnecessarily.”

Breathing, a simple thing she manages to do effortlessly every day, so why has she suddenly forgotten how it works? Once again, she hears her sister’s calm voice,

“In,” she inhales deeply, “and out.” An exhale. “You can do it take your time.” She continues her slow demonstrations, announcing each action as she does so.

Jasmine’s breaths are stuttered at first. Her throat feels dry, but she ignores the feeling and focuses on breathing. Slowly but surely, she begins to breathe normally again. She looks toward Perfuma who's still looking out the window admiring nature a soft smile on her face. She was always so calm especially when it counts, a trait that skipped Jasmine at birth. The admiration she had for her older sister was difficult for her to voice, yet she always tried her best.

“Thanks for that.”

“Always willing to help my favorite sister.”

“I'm your only sister.”

“Oh really? I hadn't noticed, I thought I had some other short girl annoying me everyday.”

Jasmine smirked rolling her eyes, “Shut up, you dork you’re only a couple inches taller than me.”

“Are you coming to help set up for the festival?”

Jasmine pretended to think about it for a bit, “Uh no actually I have something to do today.”

She could visibly see her sister’s ears twitch in interest she's now hanging onto every word Jasmine dared to utter.

“Is that so?”

The younger girl groaned, “Perfuma, don't.” she tried to make her tone as threatening as she could but based on the smug look on her sister’s face it didn't translate.

“Where are you going?” Perfuma stood up straight crossing her arms and leaning against a nearby wall.

“I uh was gonna stop by the flower shop and see Dyella see if she needs anything, and then go take a walk in the woods.” That last bit was said a little quieter than it should’ve been with the hopes that Perfuma wouldn't hear I, but she did of course, she hears everything.

Her lips twist into a smile that she desperately tries to hide, “You wouldn't happen to be visiting the whispering woods, would you?”

“What? I'm not- you don’t,” a fierce blush spread across Jasmine’s face as she stuttered, “I don't have to take this I’m leaving.”

She could hear the older girl’s laughter fade as she quickly left her room only going silent when she gets outside. She stretches her limbs feeling tense and needing to loosen up. Jasmine started toward the entrance of her kingdom to get to the woods but remembered one of the nosy townspeople would tell her sister of her immediate escape. She’s gotta go to the flower shop.

◇◇◇◇

The flower shop smelled amazing as usual Dyella was the best florist in town. She suddenly heard the woman's voice a few seconds after she entered,

“I'll be right with you darling, I just need to finish pruning these lilacs.”

The older woman was a kind soul, one of the kindest in all Etheria next to Perfuma. She was tall maybe around six feet, muscular but in a lean kind of way if that makes sense. No older than thirty-five and living her life to the fullest, although it’d be fuller if she could have a bigger shop in her opinion. Jasmine busied herself with a nearby bouquet of roses while she waited.

Moments later when Dyella laid eyes on her she let out a squeal of excitement startling the princess. She was immediately brought into a bone brushing hug.

“Oh, my darling Jasmine I've missed you! Where have you been? Have you been eating well? How's your sister?” Her grip on the girl tightened even more.

“Dyella, you're crushing me.” The large woman let her go allowing air to return to her lungs while uttering apologies that Jasmine wanted off quickly. She's always had a soft spot for the woman she was always up front with her no matter what.

She tried her best to answer the questions in order, “Home, yes, she's just as annoying as she's always been.” She chuckled on the last one earning her a light slap on the shoulder the florist.

“Are you here for your usual order?” she quickly made her way to the back room looking over her shoulder to keep talking, “You still have a few more pre-paid orders you can use.”

Before she could object there were two Jasmine flowers in her hands. Dyella continued talking, “You know when you stopped showing up here, I thought something terrible had happened to you, I was so worried.”

A fond smile met Dyella's gaze as Jasmine spoke, “I'm sorry for worrying you I just had a lot of stuff to work out.” Looking back at her hands she raised an eyebrow, “Uh two?”

“Of course, dear, one for you and one for Glimmer. It's been so long since you've come to get her daily flower, I figured I'd give you one to keep for yourself.” She said that so matter-of-factly that the princess cringed with the realization she never informed the woman of their friendship ending argument three years prior. She still doesn't have the heart to tell her now years later, so she just plays along,

“Yeah I'm sure she's been missing them, I was actually on my way there now.”

Dyella's eyes filled with wonder, excitement almost oozing out of her,

“Could you tell her hello for me? Oh, and make sure she stops by the shop on her next trip.”

Before she can respond again a customer comes into the shop and the woman is off doing other things. Jasmine exits the store clutching the stems of the white flowers in her palm. She was already secretly heading to Brightmoon, but she at least had a good reason to now.

About an hour later Jasmine is standing at the bridge connecting Brightmoon to the whispering woods, her heart pumping so intensely she can hear it in her ears.

“Calm down, this should be easy I'm just gonna drop the flower off with like a guard or something. Yeah that should work, right?”

She can't do this. She doesn't know what made her think she could, she hasn't given Glimmer a flower in the years doing it now would be weird. Especially being they're no longer friends; the guards would probably throw her out the moment they laid eyes on her.

Jasmine groaned loudly covering her face with her free hand, “This is stupid. This idea was stupid, there's no way I can do this.”

Just as she was about to abandon her failure of a mission, she got an idea. Maybe she doesn't have to give it to Glimmer directly. But how would she get it to her without anyone seeing her, and put it somewhere she would see it?

She paced the dirt path thinking heavily until she laid eyes on the tower, her favorite tower laying to the far right near the back of the castle, and suddenly she thought she was a genius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo second chapter! I'm really dedicating myself to this, I have to for my own personal hc. I hope you enjoyed this chapter I'll hopefully post chapter three later this week, we'll see though  
> If you like you can follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/snuggle_bunn) if you'd like :3


	3. Get in and Get Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasmine goes down memory lane and gets herself in a sticky situation.

Jasmine was known for her extreme decision making, but if anyone found out about her scaling the side of a castle, that she hadn’t been in for years mind you, well they’d think she was insane. In her defense, she _did_ think this through, as much as she could anyway, and figured it’d be her best option. The thought of climbing back down briefly crossed her mind, however being over halfway to her destination it’d be pointless to turn back now. What she expected going into this plan was a chance at being spotted by the rare guard who would almost never walk the grounds like she should; what she didn’t expect was to get a decent glimpse into what Glimmer’s room had become.

There were targets stuck to her walls all at different heights and levels, her bed that was once sitting against the far-left wall now hung from the ceiling with floating steps leading up to it, the wall it once guarded was now blocked by a vanity. It was messy with various papers and books were strewn across it as a hairbrush sat teetering dangerously on the spine of a book titled ‘Archery for Beginners.’

“So, she’s taken up archery all of a sudden?”

Jasmine’s brow creases scanning the room even more. It’s brighter than it used to be in there, more sparkly even. There are about three mirrors hanging on the wall next to the vanity, plants floating on the platforms near her ceiling. It’s completely different from what the room used to look like. Against her better judgement she climbed into the window and sat on the cushions that decorated the bay window. That was another thing that’s different, a table used to sit near this window but now it’s been transformed into a bay window. It was nice and comfortable it fits Glimmer’s personality.

Jasmine sighed taking in her new surroundings tempted to explore the rest of what she couldn’t see, “No, you’re only here to drop off the flower,” she looked down at her hands the two jasmines still gripped carefully in her right palm, “nothing more nothing less.”

That did little to suppress her urge to explore, if Glimmer’s room had changed this much in only three years how much had the rest of the castle changed? She laid the jasmine meant for her ex-best friend on one of many pillows in the bay window and stood up to leave until she saw something. On the floor, in front of the drawers, was a stuffed animal. It was decently sized, its big ears on display for all to see. She kept Kowl. Jasmine picked him up examining him, he was just as clean as he was when she’d gotten him. His pink body was still bright and vibrant his colorful ears, that they’d joked could also double as wings, were still as flexible as they were all those years ago. The memories of the night she was anxiously searching for a birthday gift for her then friend, followed by weeks later when she was finally able to present the gift to her, flooded her mind she could remember it so clearly.

*****

It was the autumn season and Elberon was hosting one of their various seasonal festivals. Jasmine had gone to the festival with Perfuma because Glimmer’s birthday was fast approaching, and she still didn’t know what to get her. The stands were filled with various little knick-knacks of the people themselves, various Elberon themed clothing items and delicious foods that tempted and teased the hunger and impulses within the princess. The money she brought with her was reserved for Glimmer’s gift, and she wasn’t allowing anyone or anything that wasn’t worthy to cause her to spend it. She needed to focus exclusively on finding a suitable gift for Glimmer, if she didn’t find one soon, she’d have to give up and settle on getting her a bouquet of jasmines or a card full of sappy emotions, and both the ideas seemed very lackluster to the princess. Her sister was usually really good at gift-giving and apparently already picked and wrapped the gift she’d chosen for the future queen. Apparently because of that reason she refused to actually be helpful when Jasmine felt it counted most.

Jasmine sighed dragging her hands down her face in anguish, “Remind me, why are you here if you’re not going to help?” Her eyes scanned the stands as they passed them one by one, _‘Nothing here is good enough’_ she thought to herself.

“Jasmine the most I can do for you is support your search,” Perfuma was interrupted by a loud grunt from her younger sister, “I told you the right gift can only be determined by you. I can point out five things on one stand that I think would work, and you could give me just as many reasons on why they wouldn’t.”

Jasmine rolled her eyes despite knowing her sister was right. If anything, she really just wanted the company at this point, and inviting Perfuma was the best for in terms of keeping her emotions in check. The amount of times she almost lost her cool on an innocent festival attendant would’ve been astronomical if Perfuma wasn’t there to step in and defuse the situation. It’s not like she’s trying to start any unnecessary drama or fights, Jasmine is just frustrated from searching endlessly for months just to come up empty-handed every time. She can’t dwell on her failures now she has to focus there are still plenty of stands left, and there’s gotta be something here that just screams Glimmer.

They stop at a game stand, it’s a classic ring toss game, usually, Jasmine wouldn’t think twice about the obvious scam but she saw something that would; if she could get it, end her entire search right then and there. Dangling from a string attached to the wooden frame of the stand was a medium-sized pink stuffed creature, it was perfect. Perfuma, confused on why her sister was suddenly as still as a statue, spotted the stuffed creature that held her attention.

Jasmine, without looking at Perfuma, straightened up and with the most authority and authority Perfuma ever heard her speak with said, “I will win that for Glimmer.”

Secretly proud of the younger girl Perfuma nodded then looked up at the sky. The sun was getting low and they’d been there since midday, “Well, you better get a move on we’ll be needing to get back to Plumeria soon.”

Without another word, Jasmine quickly walked up to the stand addressing the man in charge, “I want the pink creature.”

He looked her over lazily and then pointed his thumb toward the toy, “The stuffed one, right?”

The princess nods and the stand attendant gives her the requirements to win, “Since that’s a top-shelf prize, you have to get three rings on three bottles in a row.” he pulls out five rings from behind him and sets them on the counter in front of Jasmine, “You have five chances, it costs five coins to play.”

It was a scam, she was well aware, but she’d fall prey to a hundred scams if it meant she’d get the perfect gift for her best friend. She slammed down five coins onto the counter near the man, making sure to keep the worn small bag she kept her coins in out of his sight, she knew better than to allow him to see just how much money he could scam out of her. He took the money as his devilish smirk appeared on his face muttering something about luck under his breath, and so the games began.

She spent hours at that booth, Perfuma by her side the whole time, she was there for support after all. Miss after miss racked up on Jasmine’s mind and put strain after strain on her wallet, she only brought one hundred coins to the festival, and being almost twenty games in, she was worried if it was even possible to do this before running out of money. She was on game nineteen (yes, she was keeping count), and managed to land two rings on some bottles on the far-right hand corner of the stand. This had to be it, this was the moment that she’d nail this and take home the creature with an air of victory around her. Jasmine took a deep breath and calmed herself to the best of her ability, she angled the ring at a bottle in the center row.

The air around her was still, Perfuma unconsciously held onto a breath as she silently rooted for her sister, the man in charge of the stand looked nervous as if he knew her exact strategy confirming to the princess that this ring would be the one. She extended her arm prepared to put a slight spin on the ring, just as she released the ring a loud cough broke her concentration causing the ring to flail its way to the left of the bottles bouncing off with a loud clang and hitting the ground with a soft thud.

The man let out a hearty nervous laugh, “Ha! Looks like you don’t get your prize once again little lady. Maybe it just isn’t meant to be?”

Jasmine was about to respond anger clear on her face until Perfuma spoke up, “You dirty cheat, I saw you cough as she threw the ring!”

The man put on a façade of confusion, “I did no such thing. Maybe your friend here should have better concentration methods.”

The fiery anger that lay silently inside of Jasmine’s belly was growing with each passing moment as her sister argued with the trickster. She tried her best to suppress it, doing something extreme, and getting kicked out of the festival without a gift wouldn’t do her any good now, so instead she slammed five more coins on the counter the clang of the coins echoing into the night. It stilled the small crowd that had gathered to witness the argument in progress and the passersby that were doing a terrible job at appearing disinterested. The glare she shot toward the man visibly sent shivers down his spine.

The venom lacing her voice was low enough so that only he could hear, “I’m going to play again, and if you pull another _stunt_ like that this time, it won’t end well for you or your stand.”

Perfuma, who would usually disapprove of her sister’s strategies, knew how much this meant to Jasmine and wrapped the man in vines to ensure he wouldn’t cause her any more unnecessary stresses. She watched hopefully as her sister carefully tossed two rings onto two bottles in the center row with ease, after missing the first two Perfuma was practically vibrating with excitement and nerves. Jasmine seemed completely calm not an ounce of worry on her face. The only thing leaving a trace of her worry was the shaky breath she released as she held the final ring. It was an all or nothing situation, if she didn’t toss this perfectly, she’d have to figure out another way to get the toy for Glimmer. If there was one thing Perfuma knew about her sister it’s whenever she sets her sights on something important to her, she’ll never stop until she gets it. Failure, for Jasmine, is never an option.

With one last deep breath and a setting of her feet, she threw the ring through the air. It spun with a slight wobble to it, getting wilder the closer it got to the bottles. The festival was silent as if everybody’s eyes were on them and the slightest sound would knock the ring off course. It clanged against the bottle loudly, dancing along its neck like it was debating if it should stay or fly off. After what felt like several breathless hours, the ring rested comfortably on the bottle.

Jasmine overwhelmed scooped up Perfuma in celebration, “I did it,” she sits her back down breathing heavily as if she just ran a marathon, “I actually did it!”

The crowd surrounding them erupted in cheers while the man still tangled in vines rolled his eyes, if he were able to, he’d make a snide remark about it being a lucky toss, but given his current circumstance decided against it.

Perfuma jumped excitedly, “I knew you could do it! Glimmer is going to love it.” The sincerity in her voice was obvious as usual because Perfuma could be anything but insincere.

The vines that were holding the man in place loosened and fell to the ground limply. He grumbled what Jasmine was sure were various curses as he reached for the creature placing it in her arms. The crowd that was around them thinned out considerably as the princesses began their exit receiving various congratulations and high fives from locals and travelers alike.

◇◇◇◇

The whispering woods is a magical place and one of the few places on Etheria where Plumerians feel most at ease around all the plant life. It’s a peaceful place for the lone princesses as they make their way to Brightmoon, Jasmine holds the stuffed animal close to her chest as if at any moment it would just disappear from her grasp. She really hopes Glimmer likes it, she doesn’t believe that she won’t, but there’s always the possibility. Glimmer could be unpredictable at times and being unable to gauge her possible reaction to the gift, Jasmine almost couldn’t stomach the thought.

Perfuma noticed her unusual silence and spoke softly as to not scare her or disturb the trees resting around them, “Wanna talk about it?”

Jasmine stayed silent assessing her thoughts, she could talk about it, tell Perfuma what was on her mind. She just doesn't know how to put what she’s feeling into words. At least not any words that make sense, the longer she takes to respond the closer they get to the castle and the more she begins to second guess her decision.

“I guess I’m just,” she sighs as she tries to find the words she’s looking for, maybe she should start simply, “what if she doesn’t like it?” She stares at the stuffed toy she’s grown attached to, its black reflective eyes staring back at her. Its an adorable creature one she’s never seen before in real life, and she doubts she ever will. It had to come from some dreamlike thought or alternate reality of some form for anyone to think it up. She almost gets lost in thought again until Perfuma speaks up suddenly her voice just as quiet as it was before,

“Who, Glimmer?” Jasmine gives her a soft nod in response, “Has she ever disliked anything else you’ve given her?”

Jasmine stops walking to think focusing all her brainpower on this conversation. She can’t recall a time Glimmer rejected any kind of gift from her, not even the random rock that she offered her just because she wanted to give her something.

“Now that you mention it, she does accept everything I’ve given her.” Perfuma stands a few steps in front of Jasmine a thoughtful look on her face, “Then why do you think she’d start today?”

Jasmine’s eyebrows crease as she thinks, worry encases her face and she hugged the gift tight against her chest.

“What if today she decides that she’s too old for gifts like this? Today could be the day she finally rejects one of my gifts because she’s older now and has extra responsibilities to uphold along with a new image to obtain.”

She pauses, taking a shallow breath as a realization of one of her greatest fears’ dawns on her, “What if… she decides she’s outgrown me?”

Perfuma’s expression turns solemn as she steps closer to Jasmine, she opens her arms inviting her into an optional hug. Jasmine hesitates before easing her way into the embrace. Perfuma strokes her hair lightly her voice lowering to a whisper,

“There’s no way Glimmer would ever outgrow you, she loves and appreciates you too much to even consider it a possibility.”

“You don’t know that.” Jasmine buries her head into Perfuma’s shoulder, tears wanting to fall.

This was unusual for her, she’s never been so worried about something as small as a gift for her friend, she’s normally completely confident or cocky in her gifting decisions. This one though, it carried a weight to it that the others didn’t, it felt different somehow more important. It felt like something would change after today, she wasn’t sure what, and she was afraid she could be wrong. Explaining that was impossible she’d never be able to choke the words out no matter how hard she tried, and even if she could she doubted even her wise sister could understand let alone decipher her emotions this time.

“Yes, I do. I can see it in every second you both spend together, you care too much about each other to ever stop being friends. Because of that fact she’ll never reject your gifts because they’re coming from _you_.” The taller girl squeezed her sister tightly in their hug before pulling away keeping her arms placed on her shoulders, “You’ll see, tonight she’ll be so excited for your gift she’ll be speechless.”

****

That day Perfuma was right, the moment Jasmine presented Glimmer with her gift she let out such a high-pitched squeal she’d thought she would break a few windows. She had never seen Glimmer so excited for a gift before and it felt good to know she was able to bring that happiness to her best friend. It was a form of happiness she’d never seen Glimmer express before, her eyes lit up so brightly, a smile stretched all the way to her ears, tears welled up in her eyes, and she practically began to glow. The rest of that day, and even days later, Jasmine never saw Glimmer go anywhere with it. She named him Kowl, a strange name for well anything really, but it was such a Glimmer thing to do. To know that after all this time Glimmer held onto what was such an important part of their friendship, a symbol for how much Jasmine cared for her friend, it made her heart thump with an anxiousness she hadn’t felt before.

She didn’t have much time to dwell on the feeling as she was snapped back into reality by the sound of a familiar voice, “I can’t believe she’s making go back there.”

Glimmer, she’s coming down the hall to her room. Jasmine quickly realizes how strange it would look for her former best friend to catch her snuggling Kowl close to her chest in the middle of her bedroom and carefully places the stuffed toy down in its place and heads for the window. She’s about to start climbing down when she notices a group of soldiers making their way to the tower.

She curses under her breath, “Just my luck today of all days they want to do their job properly.”

She needs to hide and quickly, or else she might have to make a very unceremonious exit. She notices a door to her left past the closet and blindly ducks inside the room. She takes a look at her new surroundings and she’s…. in a bathroom? It’s not the getaway she was hoping for, but it’ll have to do, she just has to hope Glimmer doesn’t have to come in here. This

Glimmer, on the other hand, had an overly rough day. Her mother has given her the “honor” as she called it, of being this year’s ambassador for the butterfly festival in Plumeria. Any other year she’d jump at the chance to go to Plumeria, but for obvious reasons, this wasn’t going to work out. Her mother, however, didn’t seem to care about her personal turmoil, so she reluctantly accepted her demand disguised as an offer and all she wanted to do now was sulk in her room. She doesn’t actually have to head to the plant kingdom until Thursday but the hidden fear in her chest won’t subside. The one thing she’s been trying to avoid all these years lives in the one place she has been wanting to visit, and now she has to do it because it’s her ‘duty as the future queen of Brightmoon.’

She’s acts furious to hide her fear, of course, _it’s how any rational person would feel_ , she thinks. The truth though is that she’s confused about her own emotions. Why does she feel so many conflicting things? Why can’t she just feel indifferent or relaxed even? She slows her pace to her room, she’s not very far just down the hall, but she’d prefer to figure out her thoughts beforehand.

“Okay, let’s think about this rationally,” she leans against a wall and takes a breath, “she’s always hated this festival so maybe she won’t be there.” under any other circumstances that would ease her worries and she’d be totally fine, but this year it was different, Glimmer had heard whispers that the ‘lazy princess of Plumeria’ had finally started taking her duties seriously. Glimmer always hated that everyone called Jasmine lazy, she knew the princess was anything but, she was the most dedicated and determined person that Glimmer ever had the pleasure of knowing.

“But I messed that up, didn’t I?”

She pushed off the wall she used as support and headed toward her bedroom. Maybe if she takes a shower and attempts to get a nap in before someone starts looking for her, she’ll feel better. She opens her door and heads into her room, staying focused on a factor of her life that she can’t control won’t do her any good. She just needs to relax. Out of the corner of her eye she spots Kowl sitting on the floor, she carefully scoops him up, he’s the only person who listens to her problems anymore. He relaxes her and she’s thankful for it.

Jasmine, however, is anything but relaxed. Glimmer has entered her bedroom. She’s hiding in Glimmer’s bathroom. This isn’t a good look, but maybe just maybe she’ll ignore the bathroom all together if she’s quiet enough, and she’ll just sneak out once Glimmer is asleep. It’s not a solid plan and there’s a lot of what-ifs involved but she doesn’t really have any other options. Suddenly she hears her voice,

“Hey little buddy, we need to talk,” this is the first time Jasmine has heard Glimmer’s voice in three years. It’s lighter, softer than it used to be, nearly angelic. Her heart leaps into her throat and suddenly she’s nervous, her hands are clammy, her throat is dry and she’s frozen in place. The only thing Jasmine can focus on in this moment is the sound of Glimmer’s voice.

“There’s been a lot of things going on in my head today. I’m supposed to be going to Plumeria soon,” she chuckles sadly, “that’s going to be hard isn’t it?”

Why would it be hard for her? The official ceremony isn’t long, she’ll just say a few words participate in a few games, and then she can come back home if she so pleases.

“Jasmine will be participating this year if everything I’ve heard about her and her duties is true.” She goes quiet for a beat, then two, then three. Jasmine doesn’t realize she’s holding her breath until,

“I really miss her, Kowl.”

There it is, the one thing Jasmine had been wondering for years. She knows the answer now, but she wasn’t supposed to hear it. She’s not supposed to be anywhere near here, she doesn’t have time to panic before Glimmer’s voice takes hold of her ears again,

“Anyway, we don’t have time to get into it today,” she can hear the princess get up and move around her room again, her footsteps more careful than when she first entered, “for now I’ll put you back in your place and we’ll talk about this tomo—”

Silence. What happened? She resists the urge to peak but is suddenly feeling strangely self-conscious. She looks down at her hands to divert her attention to anything other than her inevitable discovery and notices something, cursing under her breath so only she could hear,

“Fuck.”

Glimmer was frozen, there was a flower on her bay window. It wasn’t just any old flower it was a Jasmine flower, the only person who would ever give her one was… She was here, she was at the castle at some point. Could she still be here? If she is, she hasn’t gone far she always stays close by whenever she leaves the flower behind. She made careful glances at the surrounding locations, maybe she could go find her. Glimmer turned to leave her room freezing in her tracks,

She carefully picked up the jasmine as if it’d break at the slightest touch, now she doesn’t have to, if the princess was indeed nearby, she saw Glimmer’s movements. All she has to do now is wait and if she’s going to see her old friend sooner rather than later, she had no time to prepare. Glimmer turned on her heels now anxious about the best place to wait for Jasmine’s appearance as she quickly leaves her room, any previous thoughts about wanting sleep pushed to the back of her mind. The garden, she’ll wait in the garden, it’s the most secluded but also public place in the castle. Hopefully, this won’t end terribly and maybe, just maybe she’ll have her best friend back before the day is out.

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! This fic is based on an idea I had when I was re-watching She-Ra about a month or so ago. To get the full context of what the inspiration for this came from you can go to my thread about it [here](https://twitter.com/snuggle_bunn/status/1284647342587641856?s=20)


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